Do you think the Olympics will happen?

[Doug1233]

I mean. Every single interview from that moment in, for the rest of her life, would be “You were the surprise gold medalist congratulations!!” with the awkward 800lb gorilla in the room.

 

[makam]

The only positive of that is that everyone knows, without a doubt, that anyone other than Simone winning is a surprise/unexpected result. Its not like a tenth or two have been deciding the recent results and it could go either way. Oh, sure, some of those new Russian seniors can be like “I’m going to challenge Simone” but everyone knows its just talk. So if Simone had to quarantine and Mai Murakami won gold, she would probably just be amazed and thankful to have had the chance. But, yeah, you hope it doesn’t happen. Or, well, ask Morgan Hurd about her gold because Ragan got injured. You probably feel you earned it but also that you got really lucky when someone else got really unlucky.

 

[JaJa]

am honestly not too fussed about the legitimacy of the results this time around. I just want to enjoy live gymnastics on a major stage again. As long as everyone gets through it safely and healthily, and we get a spectacle, I’ll be happy.

But I do not think it is our own enjoyment and experience of the Games that is the issue. It is justice and reward for the athletes.

 

[JaJa]

of course. I’m not saying “don’t have the Games”. But I get the feeling that this Olympics, like many others before, for varying reasons, will have an asterisk next to it. It’s not going to be a “normal” Games. The medal winners are not going to be the best 3 teams/athletes. Of course, it often isn’t the case anyway.

It will not be normal games for sure. And I share your concern about specific athletes testing positive and not being able to qualify or compete. My guess is, given the nature of this damned virus, it will happen to at least one or a few. Hopefully not, but I think it is likely. If it happens to Simone this will be a grave injustice.

 

[irichluck21]

Of course I want to view the Games, which is the selfish part of me because you all know I am an Olympics NUT.

But I agree with you 100%. The athletes worked hard for 4 years and suddenly had the Olympics taken away due to a pandemic and not cancelled but postponed. They continue to train through all of this in the hopes they compete in Tokyo. To take that away from that now would be unfair and cruel.

The games can happen with safety procedures put in place. Major sporting events have taken place with no major issues so the Olympics will be fine.

After one full year we cannot continue to live in isolation and cancel everything. A lot has taken place over a year. Hold the games. If athletes do not feel safe enough they can choose to opt out, which will likely happen in some sports.

 

[arabiandoublefront]

I’m thrilled about figure skating worlds happening next week, so I’m a lot more hopeful about the Olympics happening now. It was a little nerve-wracking through the winter months.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

No doubt. However, as there’d also be a bank account the size of said gorilla if the gymnast concerned plays her cards right, on balance I reckon whoever it is would probably cope.

 

[glamafonic]

I’d be shocked if a lot of the athletes, especially the US ones, particularly someone like Simone who has millions in endorsements, etc. haven’t found their way to a vaccine by then. Especially with the US government wanting to start vaccinating standard Not High Risk adults by May.

 

[Doug1233]

It’s not the US athletes that the IOC is worried about.

 

[glamafonic]

Oh I know. I wasn’t saying that in response to the precautions which I absolutely agree with. I was saying that in response to the discussion of a Major Contender (e.g. Simone) coming down with COVID at the Olympics.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

As the Games get closer, I could envisage there being some pressure in countries that do have a vaccine programme but for whatever reason don’t have a fully vaccinated delegation to prioritise Olympians. There are several who’ve done their Olympic hopefuls already. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if that increases.

 

[JaJa]

t’s not the US athletes that the IOC is worried about.

But even with the U.S. athletes and assuming 100% vaccination , the currently available vaccines are not as effective against some of the new variants. In NY they think we are seeing people with covid who have been vaccinated and/or had covid before. They believe this may be due to increased resistance to the vaccine by the NY variant.

 

[Doug1233]

@JaJa is that hospitalised people? Or just positive tests?

None of the vaccines promise you won’t test positive. Just that noone in the trials got hospitalised, right?

 

[JaJa]

None of the vaccines promise you won’t test positive. Just that noone in the trials got hospitalised, right?

Good question. And good point. This is all still anecdotal. But the reports are coming from treating physicians, so presumably these are all folks who are getting sick and going to their doctors, or getting sick, testing positive and calling their doctors. Its not just a matter of people testing positive during routine screening tests. As to the severity of the sickness, I have not seen anything about that.

 

[Doug1233]

@JaJa im pretty sure that if tons of fully vaccinated ppl were being hospitalised we will soon know about it.

 

[JaJa]

I do not think that is happening. And from the scientific reports I read they think that the SA and NY variants are resistant to the vaccine to some degree but that it will remain highly effective preventing severe illness even with those variants. The problem is this is how viruses act. They mutate and “figure out” how to survive. And its an evolving situation. The longer the virus is being transmitted the more variants there will be. Thats why the faster everyone gets vaccinated the better.

 

[mnesiptolema]

Absolutely that’s important, but our enjoyment and experience partially determines the legitimacy of the athletes’ wins. By that I mean, we as a group can decide that Mary Lou’s win doesn’t count for as much, or that Andrea Raducan is the rightful 2000 winner, or judge any other number of controversies.

When it comes to this Games I just don’t think that’s a useful conversation. As we all know there are asterisks upon asterisks, especially if some U.S. gymnasts or top teams end up out for some reason or another. Justice and reward for the athletes will mostly be the opportunity to travel and compete. Our contribution to that as spectators will be to just accept the winners as winners, asterisks and all (I suppose outside of the usual egregious judging errors etc.)

 

[irichluck21]

Chuso plans to compete a Prod VT in Tokyo.

Chusovitina: I don’t make the mistakes I made twenty years ago

When Oksana Chusovitina thought of what she would be doing in 2021, “still training and preparing for the Olympics” probably wasn’t what came to her mind. Chusovitina said multipl…

eng.gymnovosti.com

 

[JaJa]

Chuso wants to do a Produnova in Tokyo??? omg. Honestly that would be thrilling to watch. I know many people think it should be banned because of the safety factor. But I still think it would be thrilling to watch.

 

[rlayt]

She’s worked on that for years. This vid is 4 years ago. I hope she gets it.